Dunbar Lifeboat

Dunbar Lifeboat Station is a lifeboat station located in Dunbar on the South East coast of Scotland, operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Dunbar Lifeboat Station currently operates a 'Trent' Class All Weather Lifeboat and a 'D' Class Inshore Lifeboat. The current coxswain is Gary Fairbairn.

Important Dates in the History of Dunbar Lifeboat Station

1808 The first lifeboat was sent to the station.

1810 The lifeboat saved 45 men from HMS Pallas in two trips and, in attempting a third, was ‘upset and drowned nearly all’.

1821 The lifeboat was sold and the lifeboat station closed.

1827 A Silver Medal and £3 was awarded to Coastguard Randal Stap for wading through heavy surf and bringing ashore the master of the wrecked sloop Brothers.

1852 January: a Silver Medal was awarded to Coastguard James Brown for rescuing the master and one of the crew from the schooner Susan.

February: a Silver Medal was awarded to Robert Turnbull, a fisherman, for rescuing two people when the fishing yawl William and James was wrecked.

1864 A new lifeboat station was established by the RNLI and a boathouse was built costing £165.

1877 On 13 October the lifeboat capsized whilst on exercise with the loss of two of her crew, Clements and Robert Harkis.

1901 The existing lifeboat house was demolished and a new one built at a cost of £633.

1905 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain Walter Fairbairn for the rescue of six from the steamship King Ja Ja.

1907 A second lifeboat station was opened at Skateraw, south of Dunbar, and manned by crew from Dunbar.

1909 The last horse-drawn launch was carried out.

1930 A Centenary Vellum was awarded.

1931 The lifeboat was placed afloat at moorings. The boathouse was then used as a gear store and crew room.

1944 The second lifeboat was withdrawn and the station at Skateraw closed. 1953 Second Coxswain R Brunton was awarded a Royal Humane Society’s testimonial on parchment for rescuing a boy who had fallen over the cliffs.

1958 A 150th anniversary commemorative Vellum was awarded.

1968 An inshore lifeboat station was established with a D class lifeboat.

1970 A Bronze Medal was awarded to David Brunton who dived into the sea from the lifeboat to rescue an injured man in the water. The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Jonathan Alston and Framed Letters of Thanks were awarded to the remaining five crew members.

1991 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Coxswain Robert Wight when the lifeboat Hugh William Viscount Gough searched for divers in difficulty between St Abbs and Eyemouth in hurricane seas.

1993 A low-water mooring berth was provided at Torness Harbour, south of Dunbar. The lifeboat is kept here when crossing the harbour entrance at Dunbar is not possible. A Waveney class all weather lifeboat arrived at the station.

1995 The Waveney class lifeboat was withdrawn and replaced by the Trent class lifeboat 'Sir Ronald Pechell Bt'.

1996 Improved crew facilities and housing for the D class lifeboat and launching vehicle were built.

1999 A new D class lifeboat 'The Hastings' was placed on service.

2007 The Trustees voted that the station be awarded a Vellum in 2008 to commemorate its 200th anniversary.

Sir Ronald Pechell BT

'Sir Ronald Pechell BT' was a Trent class all weather lifeboat that operated at Dunbar from 1995 to 2008. During the Easter weekend of 2008 the lifeboat was damaged beyond economic repair after her moorings snapped during severe storms. The Sir Ronald Pechell Bt, valued at £208K in 2008, cost £1.05M to build in 1995 and in her 13 years of service at Dunbar had launched 206 times and rescued 171 people. The lifeboat, John Neville Taylor, from the charity’s relief fleet has been allocated to the town permanently.

Station Honours

At Dunbar lifeboat station the following awards have been made:

Framed Letters of Thanks 5

Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 2

Bronze Medal 1

Silver Medal 4

See also

* Royal National Lifeboat Institution

External links

* [http://www.dunbarlifeboat.org.uk/ The Official website of Dunbar Lifeboat Station]
* [http://www.rnli.org.uk/rnli_near_you/scotland/stations/dunbarlothian/ RNLI Station Guide - Dunbar]